Film cutting device for a face powder box



Oct. 19, 1965 E. DE KOLB FILM CUTTING DEVICE FOR A FACE POWDER BOX Filed Oct. 11, 1962 FIG. I

FIG. 3

FIG. 5

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,212,509 FILM CUTTING DEVICE FOR A FACE POWDER BOX Eric de Kolb, New York, N.Y., assignor to Coty, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 11, 1962, Ser. No. 229,816 2 Claims. (Cl. 132-82) This invention relates to face powder boxes and more particularly to such boxes which incorporate a recessed, transparent film seal or diaphragm directly over the powder supply.

Face powder boxes of the above type have been known for decades. After the consumer purchases the box, she generally tears or punctures the transparent diaphragm and throws it away. Thereafter she may rest a powder puff directly on the powder supply.

One of the objectives toward the use of the transparent diaphragm is the difiiculty in puncturing and removing it. A woman may often use a nail file or the like, but this is messy and unsatisfactory.

With the foregoing in mind, I have devised a disk-like cutter which is normally housed within the powder box and which incorporates therein a cutting point. The device is utilized by pressing down on the upper peripheral edge of the disk so as to cause the diaphragm to be punctured. Thereafter the disk is rotated 360 so that the entire diaphragm is neatly cut away at its outer edge and all without spilling powder over the user.

Allied with the foregoing is a mesh sifter panel which is secured across and adjacent the bottom edge of the disk. After the diaphragm has been cut away, the disk rests on the powder supply and powder may be picked up through the mesh openings of the sifter. The powder puff will ordinarily rest within the disk and above the sifter floor thereof.

The invention will be further understood from the following description in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational, partly cross-sectional view of a face powder box constructed according to the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan fragmentary view of the disk which forms the cutter and sifter;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but illustrates the cutting action of the disk; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the disk.

The contanier itself is substantially conventional. It comprises an annular outer body which embraces an inner annular body 11. A disk-like base 12 serves as a floor. As is well known, such boxes are generally filled from the bottom whereupon the floor 12 is applied.

About one-third down from the top lip of body 11 is disposed a thin fil-m or diaphragm 13 which serves as a seal, and above which is thus formed a top recess. Diaphragm 13 is formed of transparent plastic, and it is generally held in place by a short annular ring 14 as is conventional. Cover 15 is formed with a depending skirt 16 which normally rests against the outer edge of base 12.

The cutter-sifter disk comprises a rigid annulus or band 20 which may be formed of conventional plastic material. Its bottom circular edge is formed with a V- shaped cutter 21 which comes to a sharp point and which also has sharp sides 22 and 23. Disposed slightly upwardly from the bottom edge 24 of disk 20 is the sifter panel 25 which is formed of a mesh fabric suitable for passing powder therethrough. In order to hold the mesh panel 25 in place, an inner annulus 26 is provided, the outer edge of the mesh panel 25 being grasped between annulus 20 and annulus 26. Annulus 26 may he adhesively secured to annulus 20 so as to result in a substantially unitary structure.

In order to assist in the cutting action annulus 26 has formed along an arcuate portion thereof, over the vicinity of point 21, with lateral, inward projections 27 which serve as seats for the finger tips. Thus, the user may press downwardly upon the lateral projections 27 so as to correspondingly depress point 21 and thus puncture the diaphragm 13, as illustrated in FIGURE 4. Thereafter the cutter disk is grasped and rotated so as to cut and excise the diaphragm 13.

It will be further observed in FIGURE 5 that the annular disk 20 has a lower diameter which is somewhat greater than its upper diameter, its top edge having a smaller diameter than its bottom edge. In other words, its sidewall tapers upwardly to a narrow diameter. The purpose thereof is to insure cutting of the diaphragm 13 along its extreme outer edge, the bottom edge of the disk being of a diameter substantially the same as diaphragm 13. It will be noted that if the disk 20 were uniform in diameter, it would probably bind and be difficult to turn. Accordingly, by tapering its sidewall inwardly, it avoids excessive frictional contact with ring 14 and facilitates rotation of disk 20.

After the disk 20 has performed its cutting function, it serves as a depositary for a powder puff while the sifter panel 25 feeds powder to the puff.

I have shown what is now considered a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is obvious that changes and omissions may be made without departing from its spirit.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a face powder box having a supply of face powder covered by a diaphragm seal and a recess thereover of a cutter-sifter disk housed in said recess and serving to cut away said diaphragm seal by being rotated while in said recess, said disk comprising an annular band having top and bottom circular edges, a cutting point formed on said bottom circular edge and normally resting on said diaphragm seal before it is cut away, and a sifter panel disposed across said disk adjacent to said bottom circular edge and adapted to support a powder puff.

2. The combination according to claim 1 and wherein said band tapers from a larger diameter bottom edge which is substantially of the same diameter as said diaphragm seal to a relatively smaller diameter top edge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,553,049 9/25 Romero 132-82 1,787,283 12/30 Pfeitfer 132-82 1,999,228 4/35 Bauer 132-82 FOREIGN PATENTS 469,168 7/37 Great Britain. 1,261,684 4/61 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A FACE POWDER BOX HAVING A SUPPLY OF FACE POWDER COVERED BY DIAPHRAGM SEAL AND A RECESS THEREOVER OF A CUTTER-SIFTER DISK HOUSED IN SAID RECESS AND SERVING TO CUT AWAY SAID DIAGHRAGM SEAL BY BEING ROTATED WHILE IN SAID RECESS, SAID DISK COMPRISING AN ANNULAR BAND HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM CIRCULAR EDGES, A CUTTING POINT FORMED ON SAID BOTTOM CIRCULAR EDGE AND NORMALLY RESTING ON SAID DIAPHRAGM SEAL BEFORE IT IS CUT AWAY, AND A SIFTER PANEL DISPOSED ACROSS SAID DISK ADJACENT TO SID BOTTOM CIRCULAR EDGE AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A POWDER PUFF. 